Freud was interested chiefly in analytic dyadic relations and in the intrapsychic processes of his patients; family relations were implied theoretically and therapeutically, but not made the main focus. Stierlin discusses the interdependence of parents and their children, and deals with the dialectic interdependence of the family and the surrounding society, following the lead of Parsons & Bales, Lidz and associates, and Wynne & Singer. In order that the children can develop ego autonomy, all the family members must share in a complex task of delimitation and reconciliation. Crucial here is the dialectic of closeness and distance, whose success or failure shapes the style of interaction and communication in a given family.